


Tequila Mockingbird

by blueoleandar93



Category: Criminal Minds
Genre: Alcohol, Because I have control issues, Bicurious!Morgan, But! drama actual drama, Comedy as per usual, M/M, Outsiders POV, This is completely unlike anything Ive ever written before so buckle up buttercup, Wanted to try something different here, because that always ends well, unbetad
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-09-27
Updated: 2016-09-27
Packaged: 2018-08-18 03:52:53
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,941
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8148284
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/blueoleandar93/pseuds/blueoleandar93
Summary: Every time Reid and Morgan are drunk at a team function, they casually hook up. As a third party, the girls of the BAU have no idea what’s going on and they definitely never will.





	

**Author's Note:**

> \- this is set in season one-ish maybe even preseries because reid is a fresh 21 when this thing starts and the timeline doesnt really jump that far  
> \- there is prentiss. there is rossi. why? because idk man i like them and i wanted them so im claiming artistic liberties or whatever  
> \- i dont do betas, not because i am perfect and dont make mistakes, but because im a nervous fluffball that gets anxiety about giving my work to other people to tinker with. if there are any mistakes.... whelp. my bad. shouldn't be too many because i checked over twice but then again... shit happens so i wouldn't clutch my pearls over a split infinitive if i catch it sometime tomorrow.  
> \- it is also 5:44 in the morning right now so, thats probably why im talking so much. i need sleep, but im hyperactive right now and i need to be productive ughhh life fuckkk why

 

Every time the team parties, alcohol is flowing. Now, keep in mind, most of them are adults and have mastered the art of responsible drinking. A glass of wine or two is usually enough to keep them all lightly buzzed and upbeat. 

But, there are a select few members of the BAU who need a firm hand sometimes. 

Like, Morgan for example. He enjoys beer as much as the next man, and drinks it like it’s water with little to no effect—it might have to do with the college football keg life he used to live, they assume—but he  _ loves _ Tequila. Like, a lot. Garcia and Prentiss have even started calling him “Tequila Mockingbird” behind his back. It only takes a couple shots to get him all flirty, and after five he starts to slur. At six, Garcia cuts him off with a pink fingernailed tap to the shoulder and a solid look in her eyes that says “put the liquor down” better than her sassy mouth can. But, it’s all in good fun. He’s a happy drunk, full of smiles, laughter, and the occasional dirty pick up line.

And… then there’s Reid. He was a brand new 20 when he first set foot in the FBI and started getting invited to team outings shortly after his next birthday rolled around. Put together and law abiding, Reid hadn’t tried not one sip of alcohol in his entire life until Garcia invited him, JJ, and Morgan out for a friendly get together at the local bar. Upon hearing that he had been 21 years sober, they put liquor in his bony little hand as fast as they could and promptly dubbed this night the night that they taught Reid how to drink. 

His first was a small glass of Moscato. He ended up enjoying the white wine very much. Almost too much. Three sips in a minute led JJ to taking the glass from his hand gently and reminding him that this wasn’t Concord grape juice and he needed to take his time. Morgan waved that off and hailed the bartender, ordering Reid a “Blow Job” as quietly as he could and laughing his ass off when he handed Reid the shot, saying loudly, “I just gave Reid a blow job!” Reid almost choked on the air he had taken in when he heard the name of the drink, blushing profusely when his teammates started to laugh. 

When the small brown shot glass arrived, Reid sniffed it testingly before taking the tiny glass in his thin fingers and sipping from it, licking a bit of whipped cream off of the rim. Morgan shook his head, “That’s not how you drink it.” 

Morgan told Reid to stand up and walked him through the process of properly imbibing the “Blow Job”. Reid was supposed to set the drink on the table, place his hands behind his back, lean forward, catch the glass in his mouth and stand up to knock it back with his lips. After spilling it twice, Morgan gave up on it, saying with a wink, “Apparently you aren’t too good at Blow Jobs.” 

Reid blushed again and sent over a glare as JJ ordered Reid a cotton candy martini. The young doctor’s eyes lit up at the sound of cotton candy and the group smiled knowingly. No one likes sugar like their newly of-age coworker. 

When the drink arrived at the table, the martini glass had a tennis ball size wasp of cotton candy in it. Reid grinned, reaching forward to pick at the candy before Garcia slapped it his hand. Reid pulled his hand back with a pout and Garcia took the tumbler of alcohol beside it and poured it over the candy. The cotton melted away into the drink and Reid watched with amazement, eager to try it. Once he did, his exact words were “this is kind of strong, but I think I like it”. The night went on and Reid continued nursing his cotton candy martini, ordering one more before the hour was out. He had started to sway on his chair, a gentle smile never far from his lips as he rocked back and forth, empty glass in hand. Garcia grinned and pinched his pale cheek, “Oh, my God. He’s tipsy. Look, it’s so cute!”

“I’m… I’m  _ not _ !” Reid protested with a chuckle, “I’m just—“ he laughed again, “Everything’s really funny. I can’t stop laughing and I don’t care that I can’t stop laughing.”

Morgan clapped him on the back and commented that if he were this much of a lightweight with girly drinks, then he wouldn’t stand a chance with what was in his own glass. Reid gasped in shock. He hadn’t been aware that his drink of choice for the night was considered effeminate. While he could care less about assigning gender roles to drinks based on their fruitiness, Reid wasn’t one to back away from a challenge and in determination to become level with Morgan, he ordered what his burly coworker had. A Bloody Bull. It was fucking disgusting, but Morgan laughed heartily and told him that it would put hair on his chest. Reid covered his gag with a cough and downed it in big gulps, letting his empty glass smack the counter as he smiled challengingly back at Morgan and asked the bartender for another. 

The elder agent watched with approval, finishing his drink and replacing it with a round of Tequila shots for everyone in the group including Reid whom was probably going to greet tomorrow with the world’s biggest hangover. JJ continued sipping her lone Appletini and Garcia remained sober so that she could drive everyone home. Yet, as the night unfolded, the two of them just seemed to bear witness to the drunken craziness that ensued as the two men got competitive. 

Another Tequila shot later, Reid had shrugged out of his sweater and sat confidently in his grey oxford, the sleeves rolled up and bottom untucked from his black slacks. His hair was loose from its combed confines, hanging loose around his ears in waves after he wet his hand with his untouched bottle of water and ran it through his hair a couple of times. Eyes catching the motion in Reid’s drunkenly obvious look of appraisal, Morgan had quickly forgotten the woman he had been staring at before challenging his coworker. He headed over to Reid’s side, patted him on the back and gave him the Look again when his back was turned before grabbing the seat right of Reid’s as they talked closely, laughed, and took another shot. 

Combined, the two of them had gotten one more Tequila shot in and a loud round of laughter before the kid looked like he was turning a bit green. Reid gulped heavily, his brow sweating slightly as he got up off of his seat suddenly with a soft voice as he whimpered, “I think… I think I’m gonna be sick.”

He rushed off to the dark area on the far end of the bathroom, to the enclosed hallway where the separate doors were. Morgan let out a swear and put his head in his hands, asking Garcia and JJ if they thought he had pushed the young doctor to drink too much. He clearly felt horrible, chair almost clattering to the ground as he stood up and wobbled over to the enclosed hallway after Reid barely a second after the kid left. Maybe he would need to hold the kid’s hair or something. 

Garcia chuckled behind her glass of water, “I think we succeeded in ruining the little guy for alcohol for a decent bit.”

“Definitely,” JJ raised her hand for a mutual slap of congratulations, starting up on the topic of the surprise Fourth of July party she wanted to throw for the team at her condo over the next month, and Garcia jumped in at the idea of decorations and planning. They were toying with the idea of doing it on a Saturday, but Sundays were more realistic for the team. They were less likely to get called in for a case on that day, and within the next few weeks, the forecast was looking bright. Maybe cookout weather. Yeah, that would be nice. 

After a few moments, Garcia patted the table and spoke with concern, “They’ve been back there a little too long, I’m going to go check on our dates.”

JJ responded, raising her Appletini, “You do that. And, please, make sure Spence is okay. He looked like he was taking Bambi’s first steps a couple minutes ago.”

Garcia followed the path on the way to the bathroom, weaving past the small liter of people in the bar before reaching the enclosed hallway. Peeking her head around the corner, she readied herself to knock on the bathroom door, but—what the hell? No, seriously. What the hell?

Reid’s small back was pressed to the wall beside the questionably clean men’s room door with a slight hand at Morgan’s strong jaw as the two male agents kissed lazily.  Her jaw dropped and she raised a hand to her lips as Morgan raised his hands to ball up into Reid’s oxford and push their bodies closer. Reid made a gasp that kind of sounded like a dying moose before pushing him back with a twinge of need in his youthful eyes as he admitted softly, “I’ve never kissed a guy before…” Morgan caressed his face gently, thumb running softly under Reid’s eye before leaning in and pressing his lips to Reid’s with a whisper light touch before leaning back and breathing out, “… it’s weird isn’t it?” 

The young doctor pulled Morgan in closer and began kissing him in earnest, lithe hands gripping sloppily at his elder agent’s shoulders and groaning at the contact. Morgan grabbed his coworker up in his arms and pressed their chests solidly together before crowding Reid into the wall behind them and ravishing the smaller man’s mouth as if he were the most beautiful thing he had ever seen. Reid leaned into the kiss desperately, hands clutching at Morgan’s built body with abandon.

Garcia held back a nervous laugh and almost dropped her purse. She back away slightly and snapped her head back, waving her arms wildly until she caught JJ’s eye and gestured for her friend to come to her. JJ sighed and trudged over on her very cute kitten heels and approached Garcia, asking solidly, “What’s the—“ Garcia pressed a finger to her lips, “Ssh! Quiet. And look. You won’t believe this. Look.”

JJ rolled her eyes and glanced around the corner of the hallway before her blue eyes widened comically and she whipped her eyes toward Garcia, “Is that Morgan?! Making out with Reid?! How drunk  _ are _ they?”

Garcia cackled quietly, “Too drunk. Morgan would never. Not with a dude. It ain’t his style. Trust me, I would know. We’ve been clubbing together for three years, I think I would notice a chink in his ruler.”

“That being said, I still wouldn’t put it past him. He’d hook up with anything with a pulse, it’s Reid that’s surprising me! He’s Mr. Antisocial Library Mouse! He doesn’t get out enough to have that much game. Scoring a guy like Morgan on his first night out is impossible.” JJ argued, “Besides, isn’t he straight?”

Garcia gestured towards their young coworker whom was panting hard into the mouth of another man, “Does that look straight to you?”

JJ waved her off, “Not particularly, but that doesn’t mean anything. He’s just drunk. Everybody does gay stuff when they’re drunk. I do gay stuff when I’m drunk.”

Garcia replied, “Yeah, because you’re a hot blonde who likes attention. I should know. I’m one too.”

“You’re so right,” JJ laughed, leaning against the wall to call out, “Hey, lovebirds! It’s time to go home! Off the wall! Now!”

Morgan raised his hand to sloppily raise his middle finger in her direction as Reid flung his arms around Morgan’s neck and dove in for a longer, hotter kiss. Garcia rolled her eyes and strode forward, JJ in tow. They had to damn near pry the two men off of each other on pain of death, but they managed to separate the two and get them into the car and their respective homes before it got too late in the night.

Apparently putting them in the backseat together was a bad idea though. 

That’s a mistake they’ll never make again. 

 

The next day, Garcia clicked into work in her heels and walked by Morgan’s desk, saying softly, “Good morning.”

Morgan responded with his usual smile and winked, “I’ll show  _ you _ a good morning, baby girl.”

Garcia leaned against his desk with her hip and raised her sparkly coffee cup to her lips, “So… about last night… and Reid?”

Morgan lowered his head bashfully, “Yeah, I would appreciate it if you didn’t tell anyone about that. I was drunk. Reid was drunk.”

“Okay. I accept it.” she stalled, “So… is playing intramural tonsil hockey with geeky, virgin boys just something you do on weekends that you didn’t clue me in on, or…”

“No! No.” Morgan replied, shaking his head vehemently, “I love the ladies—and  _ only _ the ladies—I swear, it’s just… he was so bashful and innocent and under those lights and that alcohol and... he kinda looked like Megan Fox.”

Garcia let out a loud laugh before leaning close and tapping her pink fingernail against the desk before saying quietly, “You know we wouldn’t judge you though; if you liked men. Or men and women. Or… you know,  _ Reid _ .”

Morgan scoffed, leaning back in his chair and letting out a sharp hiss as he answered, “Girl, there’s no way in Hell that I’m attracted to  _ Reid _ . I mean, he’s a kid! He’s a know-it-all, top button using, snot nosed kid. It would be impossible for me to feel anything other than mild camaraderie with—” in that moment, Reid stumbled into the office in his usual old man get up paired with a tellingly dark pair of sunglasses and his fingers pressed to his temples. Morgan’s voice caught in his breath as his eyes glazed over just a bit and watched the boy walk closer and closer to him. Morgan cleared his throat and sat up in his chair. His feet hit the ground too early and the elder agent made a noise of surprise as he straightened himself up.

Garcia let out a loud laugh, “Good God, man, you are pathetic.”

“Shut up,” Morgan replied quickly, fixing the collar of his tee shirt, “Do I have crumbs on me? I was eating a croissant like a second ago.”

Garcia checked him quickly, “Nope. You’re good, lover boy.”

Morgan clenched his jaw, “Don’t call me ‘lover boy’. I don’t have feelings for him.”

Garcia hushed her voice as Reid got closer, “ _ Then why are you acting like a thirteen-year-old girl? _ !”

Morgan leaned in and whispered, “ _ I’m not acting like a girl, you’re acting like a girl! _ ”

Garcia whispered back, “ _ I am a girl _ !”

“ _ Will you shut up, he’s going to hear us talking about him _ !”

“ _ Well, if you weren’t acting all weird about him, then we’d have nothing to talk about _ !”

“ _ Don’t you spin this all on me _ !”

“ _ It is you _ !”

“ _ No, it’s not! I know exactly what I’m _ —“

Reid approached Morgan’s desk and Garcia and Morgan spun around to face him with telling smiles on their faces, “Hey, Reid.”

The young doctor rubbed at his temple with his free hand and glanced over his sunglasses, “Look, guys. I would really appreciate it if we didn’t bring up anything that happened last night. No hard feelings or anything. I was just very drunk last night and… and I am so...  _ profoundly hungover _ right now and I just don’t have the mental capacity or even the  _ patience  _ to—”

Garcia and Morgan raised their hands at the same time, “You got it.”

Reid adjusted his sunglasses and added, “Perfect.”

From then on, the two men just ignored it. Garcia watched as tensions died down and grew calm between them. Within a few hours, it was like their previous encounter never happened.  Days passed afterward and the two remained just the same between each other. The teasing, the jokes, the mutual friendship between the two was easy to maintain and so they did.

  
  


And then… JJ’s Forth of July party happened. 

Turns out, it was cookout weather, and so that’s exactly what they did. JJ’s Man Candy of the Month was taking over the grill and beer and liquor was flowing. Reid didn’t like the beer there nor the aged Scotch that Hotch brought, much to no one’s surprise, so JJ handed him a bottle of Cabernet and a glass and sent him on his way. 

The party was in full swing within a few hours and as the sun was setting, the fireworks were set to go off in fifteen minutes. JJ went looking for Reid, so that he could watch the colors bloom in the sky with the rest of the team after Morgan comes back from the kitchen to get himself a glass of water, but as she glanced around the yard, she noticed that the last time she saw Reid, he was sitting in the yard under a tree with the wine reading Rudyard Kipling. 

As a matter of fact, the last time she saw him… there was still enough light in the sky for him to be reading out here in the first place. Hmm. He must have gone inside to the living room to raid her library. This must be what having a rogue scholarly child would be like. She wandered into the house in her red, white, and blue striped dress and closed the screen door behind her. Don’t want any gnats coming in. 

Once JJ reached the living room, she realized that it was completely vacated. Where was he? Maybe the bathroom? JJ strode along the hallway beside the brightly lit living room and as she passed the dark bathroom, it was obvious that he wasn’t in there either. She rolled her eyes and called out his name, “Spence. Spence! The fireworks are starting soon. Spence!”

As she passed the coat closet on her way back to the living room, she heard a stifled moan. JJ slowly turned and took a few steps back, glancing into the slightly ajar door. There stood Morgan and Reid picking up exactly where they had left off at the bar three weeks ago. The two were kissing impatiently, arms wrapped around each other’s bodies in a loving embrace. Well, kind of loving. As loving as one can get when maximum over the clothes groping is clearly the endgame.

JJ groaned and leaned against the door, “Guys, really? In the coat closet? Stereotype much?”

Reid nodded enthusiastically, pulling Morgan in closer by his shoulders and moaning into his lips.

JJ added, “Well, the fireworks are about to start, so—“

“Oh, don’t worry, hon. We’ve got enough of them in here,” Morgan commented, speech slurred just enough to give away his BAC, “Don’t we, baby?”

Reid let out a soft laugh before grabbing Morgan by the face and going to town, “Mmm, you’re so funny, Morgan! Close… close the door…” Morgan reached out a hand towards the handle and Reid added in a sloppy, lazy drawl, “Wait, no. Kiss me some more and then close it. I miss you.”

Wow. He’s smashed. One of them kicked something that sounded like glass and an empty bottle of Cabernet rolled out of the closet followed by yet another bottle of Cabernet. They found her stash. Yeah, that explains a lot. 

As the door closed in her face, JJ heard the distinct sound of knees hitting the floor and a zipper dragging down. Her eyes widened comically as she heard a head thump against the wall and Reid’s voice call out, “Oh, my God! Yeah!”

JJ scurried out of the house and into the backyard as quickly as she could before the mental pictures could catch up with her. Garcia asked where her favorite chocolate drop was and when JJ replied “hooking up with Reid in the coat closet”, she asked how drunk they were. The answer was: very.

 

The team needs to ban one or both of these men from consuming alcohol at the same time, because every single time they get drunk at a party—without fail—they end up hooking up in the weirdest places and acting all amnesia about it immediately after.

At Prentiss’s labor day cook out, Morgan and Reid made out behind a plant. The day after that, Reid handed Morgan a case file that needed signing and Morgan leant him a stapler and asked how it was going with that girl he met at a coffee shop last week. Apparently, they were planning on a second date and Reid was really happy about it.

At the floor wide Christmas party, Rossi curiously followed a trail of clothes to the copy room to see that Morgan had gotten Reid out of nearly all of his layers in the copy room and vice versa. The next day, Morgan borrowed a pencil from him and Reid teased him about not expecting it back like it was all good as Morgan ruffled his hair and made fun of his entire outfit from head to toe. 

On the New Year’s pilgrimage to Hattie’s Irish Bar, the entire team decided to try to keep the two from slobbering all over each other during the night and actually succeeded by keeping them on opposite sides of the bar. Of course, they completely and totally forgot to separate them on the ride home. Garcia’s backseat sounded like the car scene in Titanic. There was even a handprint on the window the next day. 

Of course, at the bullpen, all was normal. They got called to a case in Tampa and Reid stated that in 1851, Tampa native John Gorrie invented the first mechanical refrigeration system—paving the way for modern day air conditioning systems. Morgan made a joke about a girl he was casually dating being colder than Gorrie’s prototype. Reid laughed heartily and they high fived.

This didn’t make any freaking sense. After three drinks, these two are all over each other like newlyweds, but when they’re sober… it’s like they’re not. They joke around, play card games on the plane, bicker about where to order lunch just like they did before Reid got drunk for the first time. And, when there’s not a drink in their hands, it’s all buddy buddy dude bro time. But, when there is a drink in their hands… all of a sudden, Morgan and Reid turn into the sloppy couple at Bonnaroo and they can’t keep their hands off of each other. Garcia couldn’t even count the times she’d heard Reid mumbled sloppily that he needed Morgan like he needed air or the times he’d heard Morgan whisper “I love you” between kisses when he thinks no one else was paying attention. How frustrating must it be when they write all of that off to be a drunken mistake and refuse to acknowledge it over and over and over again. 

Garcia was getting a bit testy. The two men were friends as per usual, but it confused her to no end that every time either one of them got a drop of alcohol in their system they couldn’t keep their hands off of each other. What existed between them was pure, white hot, passionate homoerotic lust, but they ignored it as if it didn’t bother them that they were using alcohol as a conduit to release their sexual tension. They wanted each other. Garcia was sure of it, and it was freaking annoying to watch them go at it one day and handshake the next.

It was Rossi’s birthday, and he had invited everyone over for dinner along with his family and a couple of close friends. But, here’s the gag. It was a dry party. No booze. Anywhere. At all. For as long as the night was rocking. It was even on the invitations. No liquor. The last thing Rossi needed to see on his birthday was the copy room situation he walked in on around Christmas time. He was still trying to scrub the image of Morgan sucking on the young doctor’s neck out of his brain. He’d seen the outline of an erection on both of their slacks, and that’s the kind of crap that never gets clean. Especially if he has to look at them every day. So, he can go through his fifty second birthday party without a sip of Bourbon. He can. As long as Morgan and Reid don’t ruin it by “casually” inhaling each other’s tongues in front of his grandchildren.

Surprisingly, it worked. They had a great time; the whole team! Pitchers full of soda and a bellies full of Rossi’s third wife’s special lasagna, they danced in the backyard and chatted and even ran around with little sparklers in their hands. The kids chased each other through the lawn, giggling and screaming. Rossi, Hotch, Will and Kevin started a rousing game of Poker that Reid was specifically forbidden from. JJ, Garcia, Rossi’s daughter Joy, and Prentiss were jamming by the speakers and definitely not gossiping. It was only then, when everything seemed to be going perfectly when Prentiss first said, “Hey. Where’s Morgan? I haven’t heard him do his cackling party laugh in like twenty minutes?”

The girls glanced around the expansive backyard and didn’t see a thing but their children and the fairy lit poker game. Garcia spoke up, “I’d investigate, but I don’t want to hear Reid’s pleasure moans, so you can see where I’m torn.”

JJ added, “They haven’t had anything to drink all night though, maybe they’re just… talking privately or something.”

Prentiss raised her eyebrows in suspicion, “For twenty plus minutes at a party full of their closest friends? I beg to differ.”

“I think we should find out.” JJ said with a curious smile, “What if they’re doing something silly? Like… what if they’re practicing for a hula hoop competition or Morgan’s teaching Reid how to crump.”

Garcia wrinkled her nose, “Ugh. I’m voting ‘no’.”

“Jayje is right. The mystery is getting me all itchy.” Prentiss joined arms with JJ, “What’s the worst that could happen? There’s no booze, and you know how they are when they’re sober. We’re not going to see anything. We just gotta drag them out of the house and into the party light. And, if by chance Reid is doing any form of hip hop dancing, that’s what video phones are for.”

JJ smirked, “So, Garcia, if you wanna hang out with the geezers playing Poker while we embark on a fantastic mystery, you can feel free.”

Garcia rolled her eyes and held out her hand for the other two women to grasp. They pulled her in and they raced  through the yard, past their boys and Rossi’s family, up the porch, and into the kitchen. JJ and Prentiss speculated about what they would find. Twerking, experimenting with makeup, setting Reid up with a Facebook page, the possibilities were endless. But, when they happened into the living room, they heard hushed voices from the stairs at the edge of the room. Dammit. Probably wasn’t anything incriminating.

From where they peeked into the stairwell, they saw Reid, covering his mouth and quaking with tears. Morgan was apologizing profusely and reaching out to hold Reid to calm him down. The young doctor pushed Morgan back as hard as he could, which albeit didn’t do much, but Morgan respected it and hung back a few feet. He gestured at Reid in a pleading way. Reid shook his head and hissed out the first words the three girls could actually hear:  _ Well, then, go back to Jessica _ .  Oh, shit.

JJ gave Garcia a worried look, “Are they breaking up?”

Prentiss rolled her eyes, “They were never together.”

“You want to be like this? Fine! Have fun fucking Kendra!” Morgan yelled out, stomping his way up the stairs.

It was quiet for a long moment, nothing but the sound of Morgan’s boots against the wooden steps until Reid gasped out through his tears, “I never slept with her.”

Morgan turned at the top of the stairs, “You didn’t?”

Reid sniffed, “No. Of course, not. I gave her my number like you said and she never called. Okay? I’m not you. I don’t have girls falling all over themselves for me and I couldn’t… I couldn’t tell you that it was just you that I was… you know? I thought it would scare you off. That you’d think that I was some pathetic attached kid who’s just… obsessed with you or something.”

Morgan raised his eyebrows, “Bullshit.”

Reid stared up at Morgan from a few steps down, “It’s not.”

Morgan rushed down the stairs to meet Reid and grabbed him hard by the hips, shoving him into the wall. They stared at each other for a moment, eyes locked and breath held.Reid slowly started to smile as Morgan lifted a hand from his waist to cup Reid’s face. Morgan sighed, “Look, kid… I don’t know what’s going on with you, but we talked about this, remember? It’s fine that you’re not seeing anyone else. But, what we do… it doesn’t mean jack. You know that, right? We’re not a thing. We were never a thing.”

Reid lowered his eyes and replied quietly as he leaned into Morgan’s touch, “I know, but, I just thought--”

“Nah, come on, man…you gotta quit it with that.” Morgan clenched his jaw, “We hooked up a couple of times, yeah, but I’m not trying to lead you on here. How could I? You know I’m straight. Everybody knows I’m straight.”

Reid blinked as if he had just heard someone tell him that the sky was raining jackasses wearing fluffy pink tutus and had been since the beginning of time, “Wh… what? Straight?”

Morgan chuckled dispassionately, “I don’t like dudes, kid. That’s what straight means.”

“Okay…” Reid paused, clearly trying to figure out the best way to logic Morgan without patronizing him, “Okay… I understand drunk kissing between two heterosexual men. It doesn’t mean much of anything other than boredom, curiosity, and lowered inhibitions. I’m not a freaking idiot, alright? I get that, but, you went down on me.”

Garcia’s jaw dropped and she looked over at Prentiss and JJ who had matching looks of shock on their faces.

Reid continued, “And, what you did to me, that doesn’t... it doesn’t do anything for you sexually, and forgive me if I’m being crass, but shouldn’t my body disgust you beyond all reason because you’re straight? A kiss could be a wet handshake, everybody has lips, but that… is oral sex, Derek, we had sex. And, you made sure I finished -- you were really, really, really adamant about that -- and I guess I’m just… lost as to how a straight man could feign passion that successfully.”

Morgan shrugged, “Man, I don’t know? We were drunk. We did stuff and got a little carried away. It happens.”

Reid glared at him, “Derek, you did it five times.”

JJ gasped quietly to the girls, “ _ Five times? Christ _ .”

Garcia snorted, “ _ I wouldn’t suck the same guy off to completion five times in four months without expecting something like… I don’t know… diamonds. _ ”

Morgan stammered, “I-I-”

Reid continued, “And, you loved it. You looked at me, stopped sucking me off, and told me you loved it before going back for more. Every time.”

Prentiss covered her mouth with her hands, “ _ Damn, girl _ .”

Morgan started, “Well, that’s--”

“You asked me to…” Reid gave Morgan a knowing glance, “in your mouth. And, then you…” Reid gave him the look again. “in your pants  _ during _ . I get a straight man experimenting once or twice with alcohol as a social lubricant just to test the waters, but if you only liked women, performing fellatio on a man wouldn’t give you an orgasm. Especially not every time and  _ especially  _ if no one’s touching you.”

Morgan waved Reid off, “You can’t prove that.”

Reid hiss angrily, “Derek! Some part of you is a little bit gay and that’s perfectly fine, alright? You might not be cool with it, but you gotta learn to be because that’s who you are.”

Morgan sighed, “But, I’m not… I’m not like that.”

Reid’s stare grew somber and disappointed, “You truly believe that, don’t you?”

Morgan replied, “I believe it, because it’s true. I don’t like men. Everything we do, we do because we’re loose and we’re drunk and-and we’re bored.”

Reid nodded slowly, “Okay. I see. You didn't mean any of that. Nothing you did. Nothing you  _ said _ . You were just bored and I was just  _ there _ .”

Morgan tightened his grip on Reid’s waist, the hand falling from his gentle face to fall on his shoulder, “Spencer--”

Reid added, “You didn't mean it when you told me I was beautiful. You didn’t mean it when you told me no one but me ever made you feel like that. You didn’t mean it when you told me you loved me.”

Morgan pressed his face into Reid’s shoulder, “Kid.”

Reid said evenly, expression steady and unchanging as Morgan held him, “Please get off of me. You're a  _ fucking  _ liar.”

Morgan held onto him, “But--”

Reid continued, “If you don't, I'll tell everyone on the team what I think of you right now. And that's something even you don't want to know.”

Morgan backed off of him, hands raised in surrender, “Hey, man, I'm--”

“Save it.” Reid hissed, pushing past Morgan and stomping up the stairs. 

JJ grabbed Garcia and Prentiss by the wrists and dragged them out of the living room, yanking them along to the kitchen.The three of them were still in shock after hearing all of that, in a tizzy from the mixed emotions. Anger toward Morgan, pity for Reid, confusion over what was said. As they cleared the extravagantly decorated living room, they made their way into the kitchen where they were sure they wouldn’t be heard before JJ released them, turning to gasp, “Holy shit, guys.”

“Well.” Prentiss leaned against the marble kitchen island and stood on one leg, lifting up her pants to pull a knife out of her boot, “Looks like we gotta figure out how to hide Morgan’s corpse.”

Garcia gasped, “Whoa! Whoa! Put that away. We're not killing anyone. What we need to do is… try to fix it.”

JJ asked, “And, just how do you suppose we do that? Those two sad sacks need the best couples counseling money can buy.”

Prentiss shook her head, waving the knife around, “No, Morgan needs to get his head out of his ass. Whether he wants to be or not, the dude’s bent. You heard Reid. None of that sounded like a lie and Morgan didn’t rebutt a damn thing. Once he stops denying his emotions, and stops playing with Reid’s feelings and… and  _ genitals-- _ ”

JJ jumped in, “Let’s never use the words ‘Reid and genitals’ in the same sentence ever again.”

Prentiss gestured with the knife, “I will when Derek Closet Case Morgan stops putting them in his straight mouth.”

Garcia raised her hands, “Okay, ladies. Listen up. We’ve got a classic case of boy meets boy, boy thinks boy is cute, boy doesn’t say anything because of internalized homophobia until both boys get drunk, drunk boy kisses drunk boy, drunk boy sucks drunk boy’s dick five times, and now the second boy caught the feelings that the first boy was unconsciously putting out there, and now both boys are pissed.”

JJ gave Garcia a confused look, “What part of that is classic?”

“It’s a tale as old as time and if Oscar Wilde wasn’t thrown in the slammer, it probably would have been on some lit professor’s desk somewhere by now. Let’s dissect this for a second.” Garcia replied,  “Morgan is the jock that grew up hypermasculine. His dad died early, he had to take care of his girls in the middle of six gun Chicago. He had to get hard at a really young age, and men that look like him aren’t allowed to fit under the queer umbrella on pain of death. And, he grew up during the AIDS crisis where the queer community was treated like absolute trash by the government and the media in their hour of need. Not to mention… he was, you know’d. A lot. By a man he trusted.  This isn’t easy for him. At all. The fact that he even feels safe enough with Reid to kiss him is a damn milestone. Alcohol abuse or otherwise. Reid’s asking a lot of him by asking him to face himself and commit. It doesn’t seem like Reid’s the one being insistent, but he is, but it’s true. Kid needs to be patient, and he’s crazy if he thinks Morgan’s going to just hop into a relationship with him after all that he’s been through.”

JJ sighed, glancing down at the floor, “Okay, you have a point.”

Garcia replied quickly, “I know, I do. What we have to do is… Emily?”

Prentiss answered as she flipped the knife through her fingers effortlessly, “Yeah.”

Garcia stated simply, “Put the knife away. You’re twirling it around over there and it’s distracting.”

Prentiss sighed and leaned down to slip the knife back into her boot, “Ugh, fine.”

“Thank you.” Garcia continued, “What we have to do is make sure Morgan give him time. He knows deep down that what he’s going through is okay. He’s safe. And, he’s loved. And, he’ll work it out.”

 

The next day at work was a little weird. Reid was in an icy mood, which is rare and kind of hilariously terrifying. Like a pissed off kitten. It can promise death and bloodshed with those tiny claws, but no one’s  _ actually  _ threatened. But, here Reid was, stomping into work late, satchel tightly wrapped around his body, hands clutching the plastic travel coffee mug hard enough to leave finger divots in it.  His sneakers squeaked loudly against the linoleum floor, hair streaked with rain water. When he made it to his chair, he wrestled off his big wool jacket, losing the battle for a moment as his wristwatch got caught in the sodden arm hole, making him even more upset. He threw his jacket onto the back of his chair and plunked himself down hard, scooching forward with his eyebrows pulled in with a distasteful grimace as he pulled the coffee to his lips and took a deep drag of it. Reid slammed down the cup and turned on his computer, typing in his login information with fingers jamming hard onto the keys.

JJ and Prentiss stood watching frozen from the break room, mid conversation. They were silent for a moment as they gathered the situation.

JJ asked quietly, “Morgan’s not here yet, is he?”

Prentiss took a casual sip of ginseng tea, “Nope. If he was, his blood would be running down the blade in my shoe.”

“Emily. We said we weren’t killing him.” JJ sighed with an air of disappointment, “And, you gotta quit it with the concealed weapons. Come on. We have policies.”

Prentiss shrugged, “Fuck policies, okay? Harold makes me feel like I have a secret.”

JJ glared at Prentiss, “You named your knife Harold?”

Prentiss continued, “And I didn’t say it would be his  _ lifeblood  _ on it. It would just be light plasma, you know? I just planned on chopping off all the bits that stick out.”

JJ touched her friend’s hand where it rested against the counter, “Hey. I know it sucks. Reid is your little brother. He’s mine too. I want to defend his honor just as much as you do, but we have to listen to Garcia. She knows Morgan better than we do. We have to see it from his perspective. Morgan’s struggling with some stuff right now. We have to have his back, not conspire against him. He’s our family too.”

Prentiss glanced through the window back at Reid, “But, Reid is hurting too. He just fell in love with one of his best friends and was  _ dumped _ . Like  _ garbage _ . Poor baby… I just want to give him a hug and a blanket and protect him from all the bullshit, you know? He doesn’t deserve to feel like this. It’s not his fault Morgan’s a homophobe.”

JJ rolled her eyes, “Morgan is not a homophobe. He’s just got… more issues than Vogue.”

Prentiss glanced back at her friend and chuckled, “That was funny.”

JJ smiled, “I know, right? I’m here till Thursday.”

Prentiss and JJ heard the sound of the thick glass door hitting the wall and looked up. Morgan walked into the bullpen looking chill as usual. Prentiss narrowed her eyes and JJ tensed her grip on her friend’s hand. Just in case she reaches for her shoe again. Morgan strode into the office, walking through like a goddamned runway model, tight blue sweater and all. Reid looked up and watched him walk past. Morgan passed him a casual nod before he continued on like it was all good. The glare on Reid’s face didn’t stay. After Morgan passed, all the anger melted out of his body. Now he just looked… sad. Wistful. Hopeful. And definitely still in love. Dammit.

JJ felt Prentiss snatch her hand away and reached toward her boot, “He just nodded at Reid, not even a good morning? Are you serious?”

“Hey!” JJ yelped, “No! Stop! Bad Prentiss.”

 

The girls had to hand it to them, the two acted real civil toward each other. Only a little bit of chilliness in the room when they shared it. Reid stopped throwing shade at Morgan like two days in, and for him that’s a motherfucking accomplishment. The girls were impressed. He grew up.

And, soon enough, it was swept under the rug like it never even happened.

Or so they thought.

Garcia figured, why not? It’s almost Cinco De Mayo. Why not invite everyone over to her place for cocktails and music. They’d seen more blood than usual over the last few months and they could use a little pick me up. So, she planned a nice evening, handmade decorations, her mom’s paella recipe was sending sweet nodes of flavor from the slow cooker, and her Spotify playlist was dripping with her grandma’s favorites. As everyone came in, she greeted them with a hug, a kiss on the cheek, and a margarita (heavy on the marg). Sugar rims and sweetened with muddled berries, they were sure to be a hit. 

Morgan got there last, as per usual. But, as he arrived, there was someone on his arm. A hot little number with short brown curls, a soft blush, two books in her thin hands, a Peter Pan collared mini dress, and legs for days. He smiled and gestured to her, “I hope y’all don’t mind I brought Jessica.”

JJ and Prentiss locked eyes with Garcia for a moment. This was Jessica?  _ The  _ Jessica. Oh, goodness. 

Rossi spoke up with a giant grin as he rose to greet Morgan’s guest, “Mind? No, we don’t mind! Oh, thank goodness for you, darling! We’re so glad to see you. I can keep my eyes tonight.”

Jessica raised an amused eyebrow and asked Morgan, “What’s he talking about?”

Morgan’s eyes flipped to Reid for the smallest second, “Literally nothing. He’s old and it’s getting to his mind. Want me to get you a drink, hon?”

She smiled at Morgan and pushed her curls behind her ear with a shy hand in an almost familiar way, “Oh, sure.” 

Morgan left Jessica for the kitchen and headed there, walking past Garcia who grabbed him by the wrist on his way, getting up from the table and following him in. They barely got into the room before Garcia raised her eyebrows, “Jessica? You brought Jessica?”

“Uh, yeah…” Morgan said simply, “What’s wrong with that?”

Garcia released his wrist and folded her arms over her ample, pink chiffon covered chest, “Well, let me start a list. You never mention her, but you’ve been dating for months. You ditched Reid for her even though you clearly don’t love her, and speaking of Reid, she is literally Reid with a bra. Shall I go on?”

Morgan raised his hand to his chest, clutching invisible pearls in offense, “Excuse me? How do you even know all this about me and Reid?”

Garcia hissed, “Because I’m a fucking wizard, Derek! Answer the question! Why is she here?”

Morgan shrugged, turning to the counter to grab a margarita from off of the counter, “Because she’s my girlfriend. What’s the big shit?”

Garcia rolled her eyes, “Because you’re not over Reid!”

“I can’t be over Reid if I never had feelings for him in the first place.” Morgan said simply, taking a sip of the margarita before raising his eyebrows in praise, “Wow, this is good.”

“Thank you.” Garcia made a growling noise and pointed at him, “You did too have feelings for him! I heard you at the Labor Day party when you two were macking behind the plant. You said you loved him.”

Morgan replied cooly, “So what? I love everybody when I’m drunk.”

Garcia answered, “I’m going to hit you. You have five seconds to get in the living room around witnesses before I change my mind.”

Morgan grabbed another margarita and gave her a worried look before escaping into the party. As he left, JJ and Prentiss clicked into the room in their heels. JJ gave Garcia a wide eyed stare and slunk against the wall beside the entrance and Prentiss hopped up to sit on the counter beside her, popping a grape into her mouth from the bowl beside the fridge, “I’m going to say it, okay? That girl looks exactly like Reid.”

JJ threw her hands up into the air, “Oh, thank Pete. I’m not the only person to see it.”

Prentiss took another grape, “Here’s the gag. She and Reid are bonding over George Elliot and their shared love of corduroy. They actually fucking like each other. How sick is that?”

“Very.” Garcia made a face, “It’s pretty wrong. Especially if this is the first time they’re meeting.”

JJ nodded sadly, “It is.”

Prentiss added with a huff, “By the time we get back in there, I swear to fucking God, they’d better not be playing each other in chess.”

Garcia sighed, “This is worse than I thought. He’s actually so hung up on Reid that he went out and found a girl exactly like him. Gosh, he probably charmed her with his perfect smile and rock hard abs, That chiseled chest has done many a woman in, let me tell ya.”

Prentiss waved a third grape at Garcia, “Let’s not get distracted by his manly wiles. Reid, ain’t over Morgan. Morgan, ain’t over Reid. Now here comes sweet, bookish Jessica with her doe eyes and two doctorates--”

Garcia gasped, “Two doctorates?”

JJ nodded, “In Engineering and Contemporary Literature.”

Prentiss ate the grape, “Which means, she’s not dumb. Sooner or later, she’ll connect the dots. Morgan bringing her here was the dumbest thing he’s ever done. She’s going to dump him so fast. You got marshmallows? I want to roast s'mores over the fire that’s going to start in an hour or so. This party is about to get fucking interesting.”

 

They hadn’t seen weird quite like two Reids before. Jessica and Reid were cracking up on either side of Morgan during dinner, sharing obscure jokes that went over literally everyone’s head. Morgan looked to be in his own personal Hell, which was hilarious and way overdue. The team watched it all unfold in a strange, quiet way. Even Hotch raised an eyebrow when she noted something about the metaphysics used with modern magicians. Reid lit up like a damned Christmas tree. He was having the time of his life.

Then, she touched Morgan’s arm and asked him something. Reid’s expression fell from the Empire state building. Pure jealousy erupted on his face as he watched them interact before she excused herself to visit the kitchen for another drink. It was mere moments before Reid headed to the bathroom in a rush, “I suddenly have to pee.”

Hotch stated monotonously, “This is the most awkward dinner I’ve ever had and I spent a week living with my dead wife’s father.”

Garcia turned to Morgan and Morgan sighed, “Fine, everybody. Just say it.”

Rossi started, “Why in the hell is she--” as JJ interjected, “Exactly like him in every way, I mean she’s--” while Hotch added, “Very clearly a conduit for someone else that--” and Prentiss finished with, “I’m going to slap you with a chainsaw.”

Garcia sighed, “Look. Derek. We all know. It’s okay.”

Morgan shouted, “It’s not okay and you don’t know shit about me, so can everyone for one second stop pretending that I’m gay!”

“You’re gay?” Jessica said confusedly from the kitchen entrance holding a margarita.

Morgan’s face fell as he raised his hands in defense from the table, begging eyed as he denied it, “No! No. I’m not.”

Jessica started to laugh, “I was going to say. That wouldn’t make any sense.”

Reid stated stiffly from the hallway with slightly red eyes, “Why wouldn’t it?”

“Because…” she cast a longing glance at Morgan that spoke volumes. They’ve had sex. They’ve definitely had sex. And, it was… good enough to have made her certain.

Reid blinked hard and headed back down the hallway, “I… have to pee again.”

Jessica stared after Reid and made an inquisitive face, “He’s not going to pee, is he?”

JJ sighed, “No.”

“Oh.  _ Oh…  _ okay.” Jessica took in a soft breath as it all dawned on her, “...I suppose it would make sense we’d get along then, huh?”

Morgan stood, “Jess--”

“No, it’s fine. I’ll go.” Jessica said courteously, nodding to Garcia, “I hope you enjoy the books on Mexican history. They’re um…” she took a thick breath and set her drink down on the end table beside her and let out a pleasant smile that didn’t catch her eyes, “of the highest caliber. Do have a good night, everyone. It truly was a pleasure to meet you all.”

Morgan pleaded, “Jess, you don’t have a ride--”

Jessica noted, “I have the Uber application on my phone, I’ll be okay.”

Morgan started, “But, babe--”

“Babe? You’re kidding.” Jessica laughed heartlessly, pushing her way to the door, closing it hard behind her.

Morgan glanced around the table at his team, “Good job, guys! Now she thinks I cheated on her with a dude.”

The team stared back at him, disappointment in their eyes.

“Oh, fuck you too, alright? I didn’t…” Morgan watched their silent faces, feeling the judgement in his core, “I mean, I… wouldn’t…” Morgan sighed, “Yeah, we hooked up! Whatever! It didn’t mean anything! I’m straight, okay? I was just bored! He knows that.”

Prentiss said, “Is that why he’s crying in the bathroom right now?”

Morgan hissed angrily, “You’re not going to make me feel bad about this! It’s not my fault he caught feelings, okay? We only messed around when we were drunk. It’s not like I proposed to the kid! Jesus!”

Garcia gave him an understanding smile, “Do you want to talk in the kitchen?”

Morgan growled, “No, I don’t want to fucking talk in the kitchen. I can hit all your points right now. I’m not into Reid. I never was. I never will be. Because I’m not gay. Not even a little bit. I had a girlfriend, and now she’s gone because you guys wanted to mind my fucking business and meddle in my fucking personal life. I don’t know what you said to Reid, but now he’s upset because he has some sort of false hope that I’m going to run away with him or date him or even want to touch him again -- which is never going to happen.”

Reid made his way into the room, dabbing at his eyes with a piece of toilet paper as he grabbed his satchel off of the couch and saying with a stuffed voice, “I’m sick, so I’m going to go home. Thanks for dinner, Penny. It… sure was something.”

He left the apartment before anyone could say a word. Morgan watched, the regret etched all over his face. It was a moment in the silence before Morgan pushed his chair out of the way, letting out a quiet, “Fuck.” before following him out of the door. 

Prentiss stated, “Garcia, the only reason he’s not bleeding is because you said you’d make me brownies if I didn’t cut him.”

Garcia said worriedly, “Maybe he left to fix it.”

JJ sighed, “Reid heard what he said, didn’t he? Gosh, they’re probably having this huge blowout. I should make sure he can spend the night with one of us.”

“Wait.” Hotch asked with a confused look on his face, “Morgan and Reid have been hooking up?”

Rossi placed his palm over his face, “Man, how are you leading a team of profilers?”

Garcia shook her head and picked up a couple of empty plates, heading to the kitchen to toss them in the sink. She’ll let them react. Most of them were mad at Morgan. If she didn’t know him so well, she would be too. But, he’s crying for help. He doesn’t feel safe being himself. Yeah, Reid’s heartbroken, but Morgan’s scared. He doesn’t want to lose thirty plus years of his life to a lie he’d been believing for so long.He loves Reid. That there is obvious. But, what he choses to do about that is all up to him and how comfortable he feels with his sexuality, which is more fluid than he originally thought it to be. It wouldn’t be fair to Reid to be in a relationship with someone who hated themselves for with being with him.

She noticed something out of the corner of her eye from the kitchen window. Garcia walked over to check it out. Oh. Okay. Morgan and Reid are making out on the door of Morgan’s jeep. What is that supposed to mean? Are they back together? Did Morgan apologize? Christ. Their relationship is a damned roller coaster.

Garcia called, “Jayje! Emily! Get over here!”

She heard the clicking of heels as they scurried from the living room into the kitchen. Prentiss complained, “Ugh, what?”

Garcia pointed out of the window, “Look.”

JJ asked, “What is it?”

The two reached her side and spotted Morgan and Reid eating each other’s faces on Morgan’s car. JJ paused, “They’re not drunk, are they?”

Garcia smiled “No. No, they aren’t. Wanna know how I know?”

Prentiss asked, “How?”

Garcia chuckled, “I fed you all mocktails.”

Prentiss complained loudly, “God. I’ve been drinking juice all night. Like a kid.”

Garcia smirked, letting out a whoop, “Ooh! They’re getting in the backseat!”

JJ clapped a hand over her mouth before turning around, haunted, “He’s unbuttoning Reid’s shirt. I’ll be in the living room before I get scarred for life.”

“Calm down, J. It’s just a body. We all have them, and don’t act like you aren’t curious about what cute little choir boy Reid looks like in the throes of primal, animalistic passion.” Prentiss whooped, clapping her hands, “Yeah, kid, get that ass. Spank it like you’re mad at it.”

Garcia started to laugh, giving Prentiss a high five, “Oh, shit! Look! Morgan’s on his knees again. Big surprise.”

Prentiss paused, “Oh, wait, now they’re arguing again. Dammit. Thought we made progress.”

“No, not again.” JJ turned back to the window, “I hope--oh, God! They’re half naked!”

They watched as a mostly topless Reid threw something from Morgan’s backseat at his head, while yelling something and zipping up his pants. Morgan’s tossing his hands in the air like he’s trying to defend himself and Reid doesn’t seem to be hearing any of it, pointing and gesturing and glaring between stuttered shouts. Exasperated, Morgan gets up and grabs Reid by the wrists to keep him from throwing anything else at him, flipping him off, or both. As he does so, Reid gives Morgan this offended look before screaming something in his face and for some reason, they were kissing again. Morgan released his hands and wrapped his arms lovingly around Reid, who’s resolve melted like a snowman in summer. 

Garcia paused, “I don’t know what’s going on.”

Reid pushed Morgan off of him and started yelling at him again. Morgan’s yelling back. It looks pretty bad from here.

JJ worried, “Why are they yelling again?”

Prentiss folded her arms beside them, “Probably because Morgan led Reid on for four months, told him he loved him, suddenly took back everything, started dating a girl just like him, and brought her to dinner with the team and denied they ever had anything, saying he would never have feelings for him. I mean, I’m just spitballing here.”

Garcia sighed, “When you put it like that, it sounds really bad.”

Reid kept pushing Morgan from the car until he got him out of the truck completely, clearing a space as he balled his shirt up in his hands and snatched up his everpresent satchel. He said something else to Morgan which seemed to cut him deep. Morgan just stood there and watched as Reid made his way to his own car. Only a few feet later, Morgan jogged after him. It looked like he was begging. Reid stopped and turned to Morgan, angry and topless and possibly crying again. Morgan caught up to him and pulled him in for a hug. Well… he tried anyway. Reid slapped him across the face. And, then kissed him again. And, then pushed him away. But, this time he was smiling.

Morgan’s arms wrapped around Reid’s bare back and they pressed their foreheads together. They were talking in low tones now, lips upturned.

Garcia pulled each girl close to her side as she smiled blissfully, “They made up! How sweet! I knew they could do it.”

Morgan kissed Reid’s cheek and looked into his eyes before taking a breath and saying something else. Reid’s face fell to the ground, eyes stormy and upset. Morgan talked faster, trying to get his words out before Reid could add something else. Reid only seemed to get more and more upset.

JJ sighed, “Well, that lasted.”

Prentiss tossed her hands up in the air, “This is killing me. I’m eavesdropping.” She pulled the window up just a crack and from three floors up, they heard Reid say loudly, “I’m not going to be your dirty little secret, Derek!”

JJ gasped, “Ooh. Morgan wants to date him behind our backs. That’s not good.”

“I don’t know what’s happening to me, okay? I said it sober! I have feelings for you! And I don’t know how and I don’t know why, but if people see us together, they’re going to assume things about me that I’m not comfortable with. Why can’t that be enough for you?” Morgan said with exasperation.

Reid pushed Morgan’s arms off of him, “What do you love more, me or your image?”

Morgan didn’t answer him.

Reid brought his hand to his mouth before taking a few steps back, “Wow.”

 

END

**Author's Note:**

> i know, i know it doesnt end cute
> 
> i wanted to try something new and get at least a little out of my comedy to test and see if i could do drama and follow through with it. its a little soap opera, but i tried.


End file.
